Having reviewed Andrew O’Neill’s recent ‘A History Of Heavy Metal’ stand up show, I finally got to see him with The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing. With support from Sister Witch, and a handful of new songs, everything aligned perfectly for me to go back to the Dublin Castle for the first time in over 20 years…

With venues closing across the country at an alarming rate, it’s good to see the Dublin Castle still open and apparently thriving. Tonight’s gig is sold out, and a proper, sweaty club is the ideal setting for TMTWNBBFN. After a brief introduction and preamble from fellow band member Marc, who is no slouch at this stand up malarkey, Andrew gets us warmed up with jokes old and new. The “domesticated Robert Smith” routine was particularly lovely. Trust me, you’ll have to catch this set as soon as possible.

Main support comes from ex-Rachel Stamp, David Ryder Prangley’s currently band, Sister Witch. I sense that most of the audience are a little bemused by their brand of slow burning glam, but I’m so happy to have finally seen them live. David is still King of the sleazy riff, a foil for Lux’s detached, icy vocals. Class.

All this would have been worth the five quid entry, but, of course, the room is full for TMTWNBBFN; the dyslexic’s nightmare. Whoever coined the phrase ‘steampunk’ has tagged them lazily, possibly because they defy categorisation. They are, by turns, loud, thrashy, whimsical, lairy, catchy and fun. They are also in the unusual position of having three potential front men in Andy, Andrew and Marc, which only serves to add to their diversity. Andy Heintz is clearly at ease with this, and there is a relaxed bonhomie between them, though he is the focal point.

There’s still a Victorian leaning with new songs ‘Baby Farmer’ and ‘There She Glows’, with its Marie Curie references, but, if anything, these new tunes are faster and more aggressive overall. Pick of the bunch is probably ‘Obscene Fucking Machine’, which could easily be their next big singalong.

I caught the first song of the encore, which they managed to intersperse with ‘Breaking The Law’, before I had to run for the train, but I certainly got my money’s worth tonight. While they have built a devoted community around them, TMTWNBBFN stand alone, uncategorizable, and all the better for it.